'We cannot lose maternity service review momentum'

A mother from Kent who set up a charity to help families experiencing pregnancy after baby loss has called on the new health secretary to make sure work to improve maternity services "doesn't lose momentum".

Amneet Graham, from Gillingham, set up Willow's Rainbow Box in 2019 to help families who have experienced the loss of a baby deal with the anxiety of going through pregnancy again.

Graham has now brought together over 100 charities to back a letter calling on James Murray to continue work to improve services.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the new health secretary is "committed to improving maternity safety".

Graham said: "Wes Streeting had spearheaded a lot of really important work, so we were all quite concerned when he resigned.

"Hopefully our letter has instilled that sense of 'we are still here' and that is still a priority to the new health secretary."

"We are hoping this review will be the last one, and I do hope that we see tangible change."

In the letter, co-authored by Graham and Leila Hobart, from Essex, who founded Little Wings of Hope, the charities said that progress made on the maternity review "must continue" and that "families across the UK placed hope in this momentum".

It added: "This cannot become another review that fails to lead to meaningful action.

"Too many families have already paid the ultimate price for failings within maternity care. Too many parents continue to live with trauma, grief and unanswered questions."

An interim report into maternity services being reviewed by Baroness Amos found that "too many" families were being failed "at every stage" of the maternity journey.

Local reviews are also due to take place, including into care at the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, based in Brighton.

A DHSC spokesperson said: "The independent national maternity and neonatal review led by Baroness Amos will provide important learnings to help ensure maternity services are safe and equitable for every family.

"The voices of those who have been harmed or bereaved will always be central to this work."

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